XP Home Security 2012 is yet another member of the 2012 family of rogues. This particular version of the rogue targets Windows XP users. With the help of malicious advertising, it tries to force through its bogus full version by claiming it to be a legitimate anti-virus tool. The truth is that both the trial and the so-called “licenced” version of XP Home Security 2012 are viruses.
Fake online scanners and corrupted websites are the two distribution weapons of XP Home Security 2012. The online scanners, which promote this program, offer a free scan of the computer system. By clicking on any of them, however, the user involuntarily downloads XP Home Security 2012 and does not receive the promised scan.
Figure 1. XP Home Security 2012 screenshot
Unfortunately, the second method used to deliver XP Home Security 2012 to the targeted computer does not count on the user’s participation at all. Trojans, which carry the rogue infection, are hidden in hacked websites, and only a click is enough to trigger them. The users do not even suspect that by simply visiting the website, they have let the Trojans inside their computer systems.
When XP Home Security 2012 manages to get inside the machine, it is presented as a Windows security Update, coming from Automatic Updates. Then, it installs itself as a single .exe file, which has a random, three-character name, and is extremely hard to remove.
The first trick that XP Home Security 2012 exploits in order to scare the victim into believing there is a major security problem in the computer system is blocking other programs. Regardless of what program the user tries to launch, XP Home Security 2012 appears instead and claims that the requested application has been infected.
In the meantime, the villain has also started producing a number of fake alerts and notifications, which report non-existing security threats. These alerts are extremely irritating, and they also hamper the victim’s proper work on the machine. Some of these pop-ups are:
XP Home Security 2012 Alert
Security Hole Detected!
A program is trying to exploit Windows security holes! Passwords and sensitive data may be stolen. Do you want to block this attack?
XP Home Security 2012 Firewall Alert
XP Home Security 2012 has blocked a program from accessing the internet
Internet Explorer is infected with Trojan-BNK.Win32.Keylogger.gen
Private data can be stolen by third parties, including credit card details and passwords.
Malware Intrusion
Sensitive areas of your system were found to be under attack. Spy software attack or virus infection possible. Prevent further damage or your private data will get stolen. Run an anti-spyware scan now. Click here to start.
System Hijack!
System security threat was detected. Viruses and/or spyware may be damaging your system now. Prevent infection and data loss or stealing by running a free security scan.
Privacy threat!
Spyware intrusion detected. Your system is infected. System integrity is at risk. Private data can be stolen by third parties, including credit card details and passwords. Click here to perform a security repair.
Stealth intrusion!
Infection detected in the background. Your computer is now attacked by spyware and rogue software. Eliminate the infection safely, perform a security scan and deletion now.
XP Home Security 2012 also performs frequent scans of the computer. All the scans come up with the bogus conclusion that a variety of malware pieces has crept in the system. The fact is that the only malware is XP Home Security 2012 itself. At the end of each scan it displays a fake list of infections. In reality, this list consists of legitimate Windows files, needed for the proper operation of the system. However, the bogus program urges the user to purchase its counterfeit full version in order to get rid of the malicious files. There is probably no need to say that the full version of XP Home Security 2012 is just as phony as the trial one.
Furthermore, XP Home Security 2012 makes malicious modifications that help it to be launched every time the user tries to start FireFox or Internet Explorer from the Window Start Menu. To justify its appearance, it claims that the program has been infected. Even if the user starts the browsers from another path, XP Home Security 2012 hijacks them and makes them unable to view given security websites. Instead of the website wanted, the victim ends up with the following alert:
XP Home Security 2012 Alert
Internet Explorer alert. Visiting this site may pose a security threat to your system!
Possible reasons include:
– Dangerous code found in this site’s pages which installed unwanted software into your system.
– Suspicious and potentially unsafe network activity detected.
– Spyware infections in your system
– Complaints from other users about this site.
– Port and system scans performed by the site being visited.Things you can do:
– Get a copy of XP Home Security 2012 to safeguard your PC while surfing the web (RECOMMENDED)
– Run a spyware, virus and malware scan
– Continue surfing without any security measures (DANGEROUS)
The rogue blocks security websites in order to prevent the user from finding out that XP Home Security 2012 is a scam.
In conclusion, everything produced by XP Home Security 2012 is part of its malicious plan to mislead users into purchasing its fake full version. Do not let it victimize you as well – remove it immediately with the help of a genuine anti-virus program.
*SpyHunter’s free scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware suite to remove the malware threats.